City announces plans to tackle weeds

City Manager Brian Snyder announced a plan Wednesday to aggressively tackle the growing weed problem in Santa Fe, including spraying more herbicides, recruiting prison inmates and hiring local landscapers to remove weeds from major roadways.

Snyder said the city has received a lot of calls and emails from residents complaining about weeds overgrowing traffic medians and sidewalks.

“I think we all have,” he said during Wednesday’s City Council meeting. “We all drive around this town.”

The city budgeted $200,000 this year to hire 14 seasonal workers but had trouble filling the positions. Snyder told the mayor and councilors that the city was finally able to hire the temporary employees, who will be out in full force starting Monday.

“On Monday the 31st, we will have all the positions filled and workers on the ground attacking the weeds,” he said.

In addition, Snyder said, the city is working with prison officials to get a five-person crew clearing weeds on Cerrillos Road. The crew was supposed to be working this week but the plan was delayed.

“They’re scheduled to be there Monday, July 31, and hit Cerrillos Road hard,” he said. “If that gets changed, I’ve asked staff to do it for them and move our crews into that area.”

Snyder also said the city is working on a “partnership” with local landscapers who would assist the city in a “one-time effort.”

“We’d be chasing our tail if we don’t seek assistance,” he said, adding later in an interview that financial details are still being worked out.

The city also plans to spray more herbicides. Snyder stressed that the city, which has bowed to pressure from people opposed to spraying, would follow an integrated pest management plan that calls on the city to try other non-toxic methods first.